Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli chaired a ministerial meeting on Sunday to review measures aimed at facilitating tourist entry into Egypt as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the country’s competitiveness as a global tourism destination and increase inbound tourist arrivals.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, Minister of Civil Aviation Sameh el-Hefny, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary, and senior officials from the relevant authorities were present at the meeting.
At the outset, Prime Minister Madbouli reaffirmed that tourism remains one of the pillars of the Egyptian economy and continues to receive significant government attention due to its vast potential for growth.
He stressed that the government is pursuing an integrated strategy to improve the visitor experience by upgrading service quality, simplifying procedures and removing obstacles that could affect tourist flows.
The prime minister said the government aims to achieve a substantial increase in tourist arrivals through a comprehensive plan focused on incentivising airlines and tourism companies, expanding hotel capacity to accommodate the targeted growth in visitor numbers, and broadening the list of countries whose citizens are eligible to obtain visas on arrival at Egyptian airports.
These measures are intended to facilitate travel procedures and further enhance Egypt’s attractiveness as a tourism destination, the Cabinet said in a statement.
Tourism minister, for his part, reviewed the ministry’s latest initiatives, announcing that the pilot phase of the electronic visa system using QR code technology will begin next August as part of the state’s digital transformation programme.
The system is designed to accelerate visa processing, simplify entry procedures and improve the visitor experience from the moment tourists arrive at Egyptian ports of entry.
He added that the ministry, in coordination with the relevant authorities, continues to implement measures to facilitate tourist entry, while expanding the list of countries benefiting from visas on arrival and the electronic visa system, in addition to reducing visa processing times to support tourism growth and strengthen Egypt’s competitiveness.
Minister el-Hefny reviewed ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in preparation for the pilot implementation of the electronic visa system.
He noted that airport staff are currently receiving specialised training to ensure the efficient operation of the new system and to enhance passenger services at Egyptian airports.
The minister also outlined a package of recently introduced measures to facilitate travel for Egyptian and foreign passengers, alongside additional proposals currently under preparation to further improve airport services.
He stressed the importance of giving particular attention to African countries when expanding visa facilitation measures, reflecting Egypt’s strong ties with the continent and encouraging greater tourism and business travel through simplified entry procedures.
